Question
During the summer, infants and young children are highly susceptible to a type of acute gastrointestinal disease characterized by nausea, vomiting, fever, and abdominal pain. This illness is caused by viral infection and is known as rotavirus enteritis due to the virus’s wheel-like shape. These viruses have strong resistance and are primarily spread through feces, transmitted via the oral route. The virus can survive in the villous cells of the small intestine, causing damage to the intestinal mucosa and disrupting absorption and digestion functions. Infants and young children have weak gastrointestinal functions, especially those aged between 6 months and 2 years. If they are infected with the rotavirus through food or utensils, they can become ill within 1 to 2 days. They may begin to experience symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, listlessness, and decreased appetite. Subsequently, they may experience nausea and vomiting up to 5 to 6 times a day, or even more than 10 to 20 times. The stool may appear like egg-drop soup or water-like, with an acid and foul smell due to less bile content, giving it a lighter color, hence also known as “white nausea and vomiting.” The child often experiences dry heaves and abdominal pain. Due to the loss of a large amount of water and salt from vomiting, it can lead to dehydration and acidosis in the sick child. This condition does not respond to antibiotic treatment; adequate fluid replacement and traditional Chinese medicine should be used for treatment.
Answer
Antibiotics are ineffective for treating this condition; adequate fluid replacement and traditional Chinese medicine should be used. A decoction of rhizoma coptidis chinensis and rhizoma coptidis can be used, with 20 grams of Qinghao per dose, taken twice a day after boiling. Additionally, give the child an adequate amount of baking soda, table salt, and glucose water. It is also important to control the diet; in severe cases, fasting for 6 to 12 hours may be necessary, gradually increasing food intake from small to large amounts and from thin to thick consistency. For prevention during the summer months when nausea and vomiting are common, attention should be paid to the hygiene of infant feeding. Used bottles and nipples should be sterilized with boiling water, adults should wash their faces before feeding children, and young children should wash their hands before meals and after using the toilet.